To set you straight, I am by no means lamenting the disappearance of midriffs. In fact, there have been occasions that have scarred me forever—some bare stomachs most certainly could have done with a little modesty. However, it seems strange that what was considered chic a little over a decade ago is now a taboo for everyone but pop stars and rednecks. When did exposed bellies go from in to out?

Remember fashion icon Cher, not the singer, but the Beverly Hills, Emma-Woodhouse-inspired heroine of Clueless? How many of her oh-so-adorable schoolgirl outfits tastefully displayed her abs? Many. Remember the Spice Girls? Granted, their clothing was pretty ridiculous even for the nineties, but girls everywhere were copying their look, including the exposed midriff. In fifth grade, I regularly wore a peace sign shirt that exposed a little tummy. Maybe that says something about me, regardless, I proceed.

Skin that had been hidden in those days has made its grand debut: the hemline to skirts and shorts is certainly shrinking, and it is considered normal and decent for a girl to wear her shorts so short that they barely cover her underwear. Even boys these days wear short shorts. (Juno’s Paulie Bleeker comes to mind…) Furthermore, the whole leg can be now be “decently” exposed with skintight leggings, the bastard child of Shakespeare and the eighties. After ten years being “like total faux pas” (said with valley girl accent) leggings have experienced a rebirth.

Perhaps bellies have become so sexy that we can no longer display them without breaching the line of decency. They will incite a frenzy of lust that will disrupt society! Au contraire, maybe in the past ten years we’ve realized that bellies are so undesirable that we must cover them up.

How and why do these ideas of decent and indecent change so rapidly within the zeitgeist? What is it that dictates fashion? How do we determine the difference between classy and trashy, especially when high-end designers are going all Mugatu’s Derelict on us and “distressed” jeans, purposely made to look working class, were all the rave for some time?

So, are bare stomachs indecent? Or faux pas? From high-end to daywear fashion, the rules change so often it’s impossible to keep up. But when considering wearing a belly shirt, I believe the laws of real estate apply: location, location, location. The beach? Go for it. Costume party? Go for it. Out to dinner? Not so much.